An ostomy is a surgical procedure which creates an artificial opening in the abdomen which is connected to the intestinal tract or the urinary tract for the discharge of bodily waste. Ostomies are sometimes necessary when the normal function of the intestinal tract or urinary tract has been disrupted by disease, injury, or other pathological condition. When the opening or stoma is connected to the large intestines or colon, the surgical procedure is known as a "colostomy." When the small intestine or ileum is connected to the stoma it is known as an "ileostomy." When the urinary tract is connected to the stoma it is called a "urostomy."
Ostomates, as people who have had ostomy surgery are called, generally wear a bag or pouch connected to the stoma to collect fecal matter or urine discharged from the body. Modern ostomy pouches are connected to the stoma by an adhesive skin barrier which attaches the pouch to the body and protects the skin around the stoma from being irritated by the discharge entering the pouch. Pouches are made in one-piece or two-piece construction. The one-piece pouch comes with the skin barrier attached. The two-piece consists of a skin barrier and a flange onto which a variety of pouches can snap. Thus the skin barrier can be worn for several days and the pouch can be removed for cleaning or changing. Many ostomy pouches are drainable. For ileostomy pouches the drain is usually a large opening at the bottom of the bag that folds up and is held closed with a clip. Urostomy pouches generally have a drain tube with a valve or plug for closing the tube. Colostomy pouches generally do not have drainable openings at their bottoms and are referred to as "closed end" pouches.
Many ostomates are self-conscious about wearing an ostomy bag because of the unnatural appearance of the appliance itself and because the contents may be visible through the clear or translucent bag. Others may be concerned about the possibility of leaks from the ostomy pouch or from around the skin barrier that would be embarrassing and could soil the clothes of the wearer. These people would be likely to wear a cover that would conceal and protect the ostomy pouch.
A number of ostomy pouch covers have been proposed and are commercially available. The following are representative of the patented ostomy pouch covers: U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,148 to Steer and Edwards for a Deodorizing Ostomy Bag Cover; U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,191 to Hogan for an Ostomy Bag Cover; U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,787 to Hall for a Medical Appliance Pouch with Cover; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,512 to Faucher for an Ostomy Pouch Cover. All of the known prior art suffers from one or more drawbacks which the present invention seeks to overcome.